Survival of the Fittest
by AlecGman
Summary: What if Otis managed to kill Shane?


Shane stared at the walkers coming towards him. He raised his shotgun, which was low on ammunition. He never felt a fear like this, one that plagued him ever since the apocalypse had begun. The fear of death. Shane looked at the walkers and appeared shocked as one fell to the ground. A loud bang signaled the fall of another. Shane took the opportunity and fired at another walker, killing the last one in front of him. Shane smiled, looking at the obese man in front of him.

"Otis, I thought I lost you, man!" Shane said, wrapping his arm around Otis's neck.

"I think I know the way out, we just need to make our way to-" Otis started.

A loud rattle and clang indicated the fall of the fence that Shane had been leaning against.

"Run, man, run!" Shane yelled, attempting to limp as fast as he could.

Otis slung his rifle over his shoulder and pulled out Rick's revolver that had been lent to him. His limp became worse after he had jumped off the bleachers.

"How much do you got left?" Shane said, checking his gun.

"Six, haven't used one yet." Otis said, checking the revolver to be sure.

"Save as much as you can, where do we go man?!" Shane yelled, trying to stay ahead of Otis.

"We have to keep going." Otis said, firing at one of the walkers behind him.

Shane followed suit and fired at another walker, killing it.

"How much do you have left?" Otis said, panting.

"Five, one in the chamber." Shane said, stopping for a second.

"Hey, what're you doing?" Otis asked, stopping.

Shane sighed. "Take these bags, get back to the farm, now!"

"Hey, I'm not leaving you here. Get up, let's go!" Otis said, pulling Shane to his feet.

The duo continued on, firing at the walkers occasionally. Shane began to piece together a situation, guaranteeing his survival. He looked at Otis's limping leg and his eyes slowly shifted to his good leg. Shane didn't know how to react. _He's slowin' me down. Carl ain't gonna make it without one of us dyin' and it ain't gonna be me. _Shane stopped Otis, acting very exhausted, to the point of passing out.

"I'm sorry." Shane said, holding back his emotions.

Otis looked at Shane with confusion. _Sorry? What for?_

Shane bit his lip and fired at Otis's good leg, causing him to fall. Otis screamed in pain, as the walkers continuing their trek towards them. Shane began to struggle with Otis, attempting to grab the other medical bag. Shane expected Otis to give up, but his expectations were not met. Otis fought back, pulling Shane to the ground.

"Give up, man! Give me the bag!" Shane screamed, punching Otis in the gut.

Otis used this opportunity. As he reeled back, he used Rick's revolver and swung it back towards Shane, forcing Shane off of him. A tooth flew out of Shane, as he reeled back in pain. Otis held the revolver towards Shane and hesitated. _God in heaven, please forgive me. _He fired at Shane, shooting him in the throat. Otis winced in pain and grabbed the other medical bag. He began limping away as the walkers began to focus on Shane. Shane's screams were silenced, as the round had gone through his throat.

"God in heaven, please forgive me." Otis said, on the verge of tears.

Otis saw his truck and began limping towards it, the images of Shane being eaten haunting him. He threw the two medical bags into the passenger seat and yelled in pain as he practically jumped into his vehicle. As he closed the door, a walker, followed by many more, began to bang on the window, desperate for their next meal. Otis turned his truck on and floored it, running over a couple of walkers as he turned onto the highway.

"What am I going to do? What am I going to do?" Otis continued to repeat to himself.

An hour passed by with Otis running many scenarios through his head. _How's Rick going to react to this? What about his wife? Is he going to kill me? Please don't let that be the case, Lord. If it is, I know that it's in your plan. _He noticed the familiar driveway and turned onto it. His injury was surely infected, but he didn't care. All that mattered was Rick's son and his life. He wasn't going to let that boy slip away. He pulled into the front yard of the farmhouse, being sure to turn off his vehicle. As he exited, he noticed Hershel and Rick being the first ones out onto the porch. He sighed and opened his door, being sure to grab the medical bag before he shut it.

Rick's smile soon faded as he walked up to Otis. He didn't say anything, he only stared at Otis. Hershel passed Rick and looked at Otis.

"Otis, where's Shane?" Hershel asked, looking at the truck.

Otis didn't respond, his silence speaking for him. Rick's eye began to twitch as stared at Otis with fury.

"Rick, we can deal with this later, for now, you need to rest." Hershel said, holding Rick in place.

Rick didn't respond, he only turned around and walked back to the farmhouse with Hershel, tears forming as soon as walked inside. Otis didn't move from where he handed Hershel the medical bags. He had nothing on his mind, nothing to consider. He just stood there, thinking about what would happen between him and Rick.

"Lord in heaven, please forgive me." Otis said, limping into the farmhouse.

He noticed Rick on the couch, with Lori sitting right next to him. Rick looked up at him and glared. Otis sighed and sat down in a chair next to Rick.

"Listen, I'm going to tell you what happened. I know that it seems hard to believe, but it did."

"I'm listening." Rick said, finally speaking.

Otis began. "We had our supplies and we were running back to my truck. We were running low on ammo and…he turned to me and said, 'I'm sorry.'. He then shot me in the leg and tried to leave me as bait. I fought back and…"

Rick looked at Otis. "You're lyin'. Shane would never do that."

"Rick, look at my leg." Otis said, showing his injury. "I'm telling you the truth."

Rick only turned away from Otis and began to sob in his hands. Lori looked at Otis.

"You'd best not mess with me. Stay away from my family."

Otis simply nodded and walked outside. He sat down on a porch chair and observed the night sky. His injury didn't seem to bother him anymore.

An hour later, Hershel walked out onto the porch.

"Otis?"

"Yes?"

"You were injured?"

Otis nodded.

"Come inside, I can fix it for you."

"Is the boy okay?"

"Yes, his father and mother are still upset, but I've talked to them. Come on inside, I'll fix that injury for you."

Otis sighed. "Thanks, I'll be in in just minute."

Hershel nodded. "Be quick."

Otis smiled, with Hershel smiling back. Otis looked back towards the clear sky to where the moon shone brightly. _God in Heaven, please forgive me._


End file.
